Checkmate
by CSI-girl419
Summary: Calleigh and Ryan are sent deep undercover to discover the secrets of the Sanchez drug ring. Can the two learn to get along in time to complete the mission, or will their true identity be unmasked? TalkCSI CaRWash Thread Challenge fic. CaRWash
1. Mission Improbable

**A/N: Hey all! I know I said I wasn't going to be writing for a while, but then I got the bug and couldn't resist! This is my fic for the CaRWash thread challenge over at Talk CSI.**

**Requirements for the challenge**

**- Someone saying "I'm King of the Lab!" **

**-A bet with a payout other than money**

**- A poisonous or rather large spider with a funny nickname**

**- A firehose**

**- Some reference to a fairy tale**

**It's a lot of random fluff, but I hope you enjoy it non the less!**

**Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape, or form, own CSI or its characters. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and the writers who are on strike. I'm simply playing with them until they get back to work! ;)**

**Chapter 1: Mission Improbable**

"Hey Cal, wait up," Ryan said as he half jogged over to his coworker. "I hear Horatio wants to see both of us in his office. Any idea what it's about?"

Calleigh continued down the hall, Ryan now keeping pace with her. "I have no inkling at all, which is really weird because usually I can read Horatio like a book. This time though..."she hesitated as if trying to figure out how to describe her uneasiness. "I don't think it'll be too bad, but I'm really going in blind on this one. By the way, how are you feeling? That cold getting any better?"

Ryan flashed her his boyish smile. "Yeah, a little R&R was all I really needed. The cough drops are helping though, thanks again," he said, popping another cherry flavored lozenge into his mouth.

"No problem, I'm just glad you're feeling better," she smiled as they reached Horatio's office. He held open the door for her and they entered the small room together.

Horatio looked up from some paperwork on his desk and seeing them, motioned for Calleigh and Ryan to take the seats in front of him.

Ryan plopped down in the chair and got right to the point, "What did you need us for H?"

Horatio stood and faced the window, his back partially to them. "I have a special assignment for the both of you," he said calmly, "I assume you are familiar with the Sanchez drug ring?" He turned to look at them.

"Sure," Ryan said, looking to Calleigh for a sign of agreement, "It's a new type of drug racket based on a matriarchal society; the women are the dealers, suppliers, and the heads of the operation. They've taken a real root in Miami in the past few months because they are hard to detect; they're not the stereotypical drug lords."

"You're right, they are not," Horatio said, leaning against his desk, "Over fifty percent of the drugs now coming illegally into the country are coming through this channel. We have some intelligence on them, but in order to take them down, we're going to need an inside source. The feds have requested that I hand pick two CSIs to infiltrate the ring and gather enough information and evidence to collapse the entire system."

"Why can't the feds take care of it themselves?" Calleigh asked, "CSIs don't have special training or anything for that type of work."

The corner of Horatio's mouth snuck up in a half smile for a moment before sinking back into a serious expression. "I'm aware of that Calleigh, but if we can get enough physical evidence, collected and documented properly, once we break down the operation we can have them tried and convicted in court. That's why I've chosen the two of you to go undercover and be the eyes and ears for us here. With your help, we can get a lot of drugs off the street for good."

Calleigh's eyes narrowed. "How are we supposed to get into this organization? As I recall it's a "girls only" rule, and Ryan doesn't exactly qualify in that category."

"Yeah, and I do_ not_ do drag," Ryan added, suddenly concerned.

"I'm not asking that of you Mr. Wolfe," Horatio continued, "The boyfriends of some of the higher up members of the ring are allowed limited access to information about the distribution of drugs, and they also have a behind the scenes knowledge of how the whole system works. Your cover story will be that you are United States contacts for the drug ring, in charge of figuring out the best distribution patterns for the drugs. The drug lords are expecting a young woman named Jennifer Hadley to come to their "universal" of sorts in two weeks. Only problem is that we intercepted Miss Hadley a week ago and she will be unable to attend. They don't know what she looks like, so you will easily take her place Calleigh. Ryan will accompany you as Jennifer's boyfriend Zackary Quint."

Ryan choked on the lozenge that had suddenly slipped down his throat.

"Oh grow up," Calleigh said, whacking him on the back of the neck, causing the tablet to fly out of Ryan's mouth and land in a gooey mess on Horatio's desk.

Horatio looked at the sticky pile of spit and cough drop with a wrinkled nose before looking back up at Calleigh. "Normally we would send you in alone, but I would feel more comfortable if Ryan went with you as a means of protection."

"What?!" Calleigh said, clearly angered, "You want to send him with me as protection?! I don't need protection Horatio!" The tone of her voiced matched the one she'd used when she called Ryan a newbie all those years ago.

"Calleigh, you can fight this, but the arrangements have already been made. Your bags have been packed and the apartment you both will be living in for the next few weeks is awaiting your arrival."

"Wait, we have to share an apartment? As in live together?" Calleigh asked, getting more flustered by the minute.

"For the next few weeks you are boyfriend and girlfriend. For the sake of the mission, you two will be living together, going out together, and spending as much time together as possible. I expect that you can follow through with this?" Horatio asked.

"Why did it have to be him?" she muttered slightly under her breath. Finally deciding to accept the inevitable, she looked up at Horatio and nodded her head. "Alright, I'll do it," she surrendered.

"And you Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio asked, turning to Ryan who had been silent since the announcement of his and Calleigh's "relationship".

"Umm, yeah, I guess so," he said, still not able to clear the deer-in-the-headlights look from his eyes.

"Good," Horatio said, straightening up and walking back around his desk, "An FBI officer will be here to pick you up in about a half hour to take you to your new apartment. When you get there, you will be given a dossier about the mission and the back stories for your identities. Please do not mention a word of this to anyone as you leave the lab; everyone else thinks you are on an extended vacation...separate of course," Horatio added when he got a look from Calleigh. "I will have limited contact with you from here on out, but I trust that you can take care of yourselves. Good luck."

Calleigh and Ryan took this as their signal to leave, and made their way to the door. Calleigh left the room in a huff, but before Ryan could leave, Horatio called him back into the room.

"And Mr. Wolfe, take care of her," Horatio said, a caring tone in his voice.

"I will," Ryan promised, before following Calleigh out the door.

An hour later Calleigh and Ryan were sitting in the back seat of an SUV headed for their new "life". Calleigh had been silent since leaving Horatio's office, and now stared moodily out the window, her arms folded across her chest. Ryan knew she wasn't mad at him; she was upset that Horatio thought she needed protection, and that she had been volunteered so quickly for this job. He hoped she'd talk to him when they were finally alone again, otherwise this was going to be a really long three weeks.

They pulled up in front of a squatty apartment complex on the seedier side of town. Calleigh got out and tossed a backpack full of her belongings over her shoulder, while Ryan picked up his suitcases and the FBI agent got the rest of Calleigh's stuff.

When the door to the apartment opened, Ryan was wondering what kind of a thing he'd signed up for. Although the outside of the building was run down, the inside sparkled with the latest designs and furnishings. There was a living room to the left of the door, and a passage directly in front of them leading back to a kitchen and dining area. A hallway turned off from the right, and Ryan could see two doors down its length.

The agent put the suitcases down and handed a file folder to each CSI. "Here are your stories, as well as a history of everyone you will have to deal with in the drug ring. Memorize it. It might save your life. Also there is a list of emergency contact numbers in case you run into problems. If the situation changes, you will be notified by either your supervisor, or another agent. Here's each of you a cell phone to use with the safety line on speed dial. If you ever need back up, call that number and we'll be there in a second."

"B.B.," Ryan mused, scrolling down to the preprogramed number, "Stands for Big Brother, right?"

The agent nodded. "If there's anything else you need, let me know." He nodded to both of them like some oversized bellboy, and left the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"Arrggggg!" Calleigh sighed frustratedly, before collapsing into a chair and closing her eyes.

Ryan began to explore the apartment, especially the rooms behind the two closed doors. One was a good sized bathroom and the other...

"Please tell me I at least get my own bed," Calleigh pleaded gently.

"Umm," Ryan started, a small smile, inching across his face, "That's gonna be a no."


	2. Devil's Work

**Chapter 2: Devil's Work**

**_Later that night_**

Ryan balled up his clothes and tossed them into the closet, hoping they'd fall on his side and not on Calleigh's. She had been touchy all afternoon, and had spoken a bare three sentences to him. They had both needed the time, however, to work on memorizing their identities and other pertinent information.

Ryan had just finished smoothing back the covers on his side of the bed, when Calleigh came out of the bathroom, wearing a tank top and lounge pants.

"What are you doing?" she asked in an accusatory tone.

"What does it look like?" Ryan asked, yawning, "I'm going to bed."

"Not in my bed you're not," Calleigh said firmly, folding her arms.

"In case you hadn't noticed, there are no other beds in this apartment," Ryan pointed out, "Relax, I'm not asking you to sleep with me, I'm just asking you to sleep in the same bed as me. It's a king; there's no way we're going to touch anyway."

"I don't care," Calleigh said, putting her clothes in the closet and shutting the door, "I don't want you in my bed."

"Calleigh, we're boyfriend and girlfriend, that's kind of how things work," Ryan tried again.

Calleigh shook her head. "Jennifer and Zack may be Cinderella and Prince Charming, but me and you, we're like Hansel and Gretel."

"Hansel and Gretel?" Ryan asked skeptically.

"You know, brother and sister. And I don't sleep in the same bed as my brother," Calleigh clarified.

"Not even when you were little and were scared of the dark?" Ryan questioned, leaning in closer to her.

"Nice try," she said leaning in almost until their lips touched, "But I'm not afraid of the dark," she whispered seductively, before yanking the pillow he was leaning on out from under his elbow and tossing it out of the room.

"Come on Cal!" Ryan pleaded again.

"Nope," she said, shoving him out the door with a blanket in his arms. "Night," she said before slamming the door.

Ryan stood outside the door for a minute or two until his brain could catch up with what just happened. He sighed and headed for the living room. It was going to be a long couple of weeks if he was sentenced to couch duty. Trying to make himself comfortable on the sofa proved to be a challenge, but after a short while he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning Ryan was awakened by the smell of eggs and toasted bread. He blinked into the morning sun that was streaming in through the windows. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, before hearing a voice that nearly startled him off the couch.

"Mornin' sleepy head! Finally decide it was time to wake up?" Calleigh's voice was chipper already and when Ryan looked up she was leaning over the end of the couch.

"I'm up, I'm up," Ryan said, struggling into a sitting position.

"Sleep well?" she asked, sitting on the chair next to the sofa.

"I would have slept better in a real bed," he muttered, still trying to get the sleepiness to dissipate from his brain.

She gave him a guilty half smile. "If it makes it any better, I made breakfast for you! Eggs and toast, just the way you like them."

"How do you know how I like my eggs?" Ryan asked.

"Observation over the course of a few years," she smiled, before standing and putting a hand on his knee, "It's ready whenever you decide to get dressed." She went back into the kitchen, while Ryan stumbled into the bathroom.

When Ryan entered the kitchen nook ten minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, Calleigh was already at the table, a plate of half eaten food in front of her. She was deeply absorbed in the morning paper, and barely noticed when Ryan sat down with a plate of his own.

"Anything interesting?" he asked between bites of toast.

"Nothing we don't see everyday," she said with a smile, folding the newspaper back up and tucking it under her plate.

"What time are we supposed to meet the council today?" Ryan asked, referring to the inner circle of the drug ring they were about to infiltrate.

"My meeting's at noon and they asked that you come along," Calleigh said, taking her now empty plate to the sink, "I don't think you'll be meeting them, but you will be meeting the guys behind these powerful women. I'll drop you off there on my way to the meeting."

"Why do I feel like I'm being sent to a babysitter?" Ryan joked.

Three hours later when they were standing in front of the Sanchez headquarters, Ryan was reminded how accurate his description actually was.

"Remember that even though these guys don't run the operation doesn't mean they're not dangerous," Calleigh said, "Be careful."

"Don't worry about me Jenny," he smiled, "You just go in there and show them what a tough customer you are."

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "See you at home later Zack."

Calleigh's meeting was on the top floor of a respectable looking office building and as she rode the elevator up, she went over the plan in her head once again. She had to ooze confidence or they were going to sniff her out in an instant.

When the car finally reached the top floor, the doors opened onto a long hallway, at the end of which was an archway leading into a large room. Calleigh exited the elevator and walked down the length of the hall like she owned the place. Pausing at the entrance of the room she cleared her throat loudly as a sign of "Here I am".

There were three women in the room, all of whom looked up when Calleigh made her presence known. The woman at the head of the table was in her late forties, early fifties, and wore a starched expression that would have melted ice. To her left sat a younger red haired woman, who appeared to be second in command. To her right was a brunette with serious, but somewhat gentler eyes.

"Jennifer Hadley?" the woman in charge asked with a voice like ice; not necessarily harsh, but very cold.

"And you must be Paloma Sanchez," Calleigh said with an air of frank familiarity.

"That is quite correct," the woman said, standing and walking closer to Calleigh, "Welcome to the headquarters of Sanchez International. I do hope that you will fit in better than our last source."

Paloma reminded Calleigh of a snake, the way she moved and spoke so softly. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" Calleigh asked, making her way to the table.

"Ah, confidence," Paloma said, sliding back into her chair, "A quality well admired here. Among others. Jennifer, these are my seconds in command, if you will," she motioned to the women on either side of her. "Consuela Ramirez, my smuggling expert."

The dark haired woman nodded, and Calleigh returned the gesture.

"And Keely Graham, my chemical engineer. She helps develop new types of drugs and new ways to distribute the ones we already have. Very important to this type of business." The red head acknowledged the praise, but her eyes continued to bore into Calleigh.

After a few moments of thick silence, Paloma spoke again. "The new shipment needs unpacking, why don't the two of you go take care of it, I'd like to have a moment alone with Miss Hadley."

The other two women understood their dismissal and quickly left the room. When the doors were shut behind them, Calleigh felt very trapped.

"Now then, let me explain your purpose here. You are to be our location expert for the United States. You will tell us the best distribution route and find the best ways to get past local law enforcement. Two weeks from now we are having a Universal and I plan to introduce you as one of my new lieutenants. That is, if you can prove your loyalty to this group," her voice trailed off, making the statement sound more like a threat.

"I will," Calleigh said, bluntly. She was surprised at how well she matched the coldness of Paloma's voice.

"Good," Paloma said, her eyes narrowing. She stood and walked over to a large desk that stood in the corner. Pulling a key out of her pocket, she opened a drawer and took out a collection of papers. "As you well know Miss Hadley, this organization is run by women, a feat which I claim the honors for. But men have their uses too. You have a man in your life that you care very much for, a Zackary Quint, is it?" When Calleigh confirmed this, Paloma continued. "Loyalty is essential for our "family" to grow, and in order to make sure of your devotion, you must sign this contract."

Calleigh took the paper from her and frowned when she read part of it. "What is this for?"

"It's a simple agreement, saying that if you betray this "family" for any reason, your Zackary will be killed."

Calleigh felt the blood rush out of her face. "Killed?" Calleigh stuttered.

The woman laughed quietly, but the sound gave Calleigh chills instead of comfort. "A phrase you must quickly become familiar with, Miss Hadley. Lucky for you, your rank is high enough that you will not be required to do any dirty work, but you will send the order occasionally. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Calleigh said, the pen hovering over the paper, her gut instinct telling her not to sign. She scratched out a neat signature for Jennifer Hadley and then passed the paper back to Paloma, feeling as if she'd just made a deal with the devil.


	3. Pillow Talk

**Chapter 3: Pillow Talk**

Calleigh had been back at the apartment for nearly four hours and Ryan was still not back yet. It had her slightly worried, but if it was helping to stake his place among the others, so be it. She was about to put away the book she was half reading when she heard the door open.

"Ryan!" she gasped when she saw him, "What on earth happened?!"

Ryan's eye was bloodshot and the area around it was a deep purple color. His lip was split open in two spots, the blood still trickling down his chin. His clothes looked like he had rolled around on barbed wire.

"I'm alright," Ryan said as Calleigh rushed to him, "I just had my official initiation."

"What did they do to you?" Calleigh asked, clearly horrified.

Ryan sat down on the couch, wincing as he leaned against the cushions. Calleigh handed him a wet rag and then sat down across from him. "Apparently it's good for group loyalty if the new guy is beaten to a pulp by the other members. You were right, those guys are just as tough as any street dealer we ever dealt with."

"I'm so sorry," Calleigh said, worried now not only for her own safety, but for his as well, "What can I do for you?"

"Just grab me a couple of painkillers and I'll be fine. They didn't break anything so I guess I should be grateful it was just a light beating," he joked, but instantly stopped when he saw the look on Calleigh's face.

She handed him the pills and a glass of water, which he took gratefully. "So did you get a sense of what we're up against?" he asked her, a little spasm of pain coursing through his body as he set the glass back down on the coffee table.

"Yeah," Calleigh said, "And it's not going to be easy. I basically signed away your life today."

"What?!"

"Because it's a matriarchal society, the way they keep power is by making every member sign a contract that says if we break the trust of the "family", our boyfriends, husbands, or fiances will be killed immediately," Calleigh explained.

Ryan paled considerably. "It makes sense," he said, "but it sure doesn't make me feel better."

"I know what you mean," Calleigh agreed.

"Tell me about the people you met," he said, closing his eyes as if the light hurt them.

"Paloma Sanchez is the leader of the organization and she's a real creepy customer. I can't quite read her yet. She has this pet spider that she keeps in her office, a giant tarantula that she says is very short tempered. Her chemical expert, Keely Graham, is trying to make a new drug from its secretions, but I'm not sure how that all works," Calleigh admitted, "And then there's her smuggling expert Consuela Ramirez who has dual citizen ship in the United States and Columbia, in addition to some level of diplomatic immunity. That's how they get a lot of the drugs past customs. I'm supposed to meet everyone else at the Universal next week."

"Sounds like an interesting bunch," Ryan said.

"For a drug operation anyway," Calleigh agreed, "But I want to know how the men figure in to all this. What part do they play?"

"From what I can tell, they do all the heavy lifting and physical stuff, so to speak," Ryan answered, "One guy I met today seems to be in charge. Fernando Vincent; I think he's with your Paloma. Most guys seem to follow his orders, and he seems to get his info straight from the top."

"It's possible," Calleigh agreed. When Ryan's stomach grumbled, she laughed and stood up. "Better get you fed and then into bed," she smiled.

"You're going to let me sleep in your bed?" he asked, confused.

"I'm certainly not going to let you sleep on the couch after what you've been through, and besides, I think there's plenty of room for both of us," she pointed out with a wink.

CARWASHCARWASHCARWASHCARWASH

Later that night Ryan lay in bed, completely still, as close to the edge as he could get. Calleigh was on the other side pressed up against her edge of the bed as well. Their backs were to each other, but they both could tell the other was awake. The silence was deafening.

"You awake?" he asked after the better part of an hour, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," she sighed, rolling over to face him.

He rolled over onto his back, his sore muscles protesting every step of the way. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, after noting a look in her eyes he couldn't quite place.

She shook her head with a slight smile, telling him she didn't want to talk about it.

"You've been really uptight ever since we got assigned," he mentioned after a moment, "What's bothering you?"

She was looking up at the ceiling, but he caught the softened emotion in her eyes. "I don't know," she ventured after a moment, "I just haven't had the best luck with undercover missions in the past."

"You're talking about Jake, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

"And John, and others," she said with a wistful expression, "Being undercover changes a person, in way that I don't even really understand. I don't want to be different when I come out of this. I don't want us to be different."

Ryan's heart got stuck in his throat at the mention of an 'us'. "I'll always be here for you Calleigh. You know that," he said, looking over at her.

"Yeah," she said, turning to face him with a soft smile. She laughed a little. "Sounds really stupid, doesn't it, to be scared about something like that?"

"Not at all," he corrected, "But I promise that if you'll always be Calleigh, then I'll always be Ryan."

She laughed before giving in to a yawn. "I'll see you tomorrow Ryan. Goodnight," she said before curling up and closing her eyes.

"Goodnight Cal," he said, watching her for a moment longer before closing his own eyes and drifting off to sleep.

He was awakened several hours later by a movement close to his body. He opened his eyes and had to smile when he found Calleigh curled into him, her head resting partially on his shoulder. Tough-as-nails Calleigh Duquesne was a snuggler. He laughed to himself and watched her a moment longer, before putting his arm around her, and closing his eyes. Sleep came very easily after that.


	4. A Spider in the Ointment

**Chapter 4: A Spider in the Ointment**

The two weeks passed by very quickly and before either of them realized it, the morning of the Universal had come. Calleigh was a nervous wreck, but Ryan managed to calm her down somewhat. The past two weeks had been like a friendship boot camp for them. They were closer now than they ever had been, and sometimes it was hard to draw the line between whether they were Calleigh and Ryan, or Jenny and Zack.

"Cal, you'll be fine," Ryan said as Calleigh rushed around the apartment getting ready, "You've got them eating out of your hand."

"Yeah, but I really can't afford to blow it today. If I do, your life's on the line too," she reminded him, slipping into her high heels.

"I know," he said, lifting her chin so her eyes met his, "But I trust you with my life. You always take good care of me."

She blushed and ducked her head, fixing the back of her shoe. "Alright," she said finally, straightening up, "How do I look?"

"Like an evil crime boss," he appraised.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she laughed, "Come on Zack, we've got a Universal to crash!"

CARWASHCARWASHCARWASHCARWASH

Several hours later Calleigh sat at the big table, wishing Ryan was there with her. She had a difficult time memorizing everyone's face and name, and she was sure she'd screw up. Other bosses from different countries had given their status reports to Paloma, and it was clear that they answered to her. She was queen bee in this hive full of female drug lords.

So far there had been nothing Calleigh could collect as "evidence". She hadn't seen any drugs, and all the paper work was kept locked away. The meeting was turning out to be a big waste of time. That was until Paloma collected the records from each boss. These records contained names and contact information for every person involved in the drug ring world wide. 'It had to be a woman that would keep records like that' Calleigh thought. Paloma's careful documentation meant Calleigh's big break.

Paloma took the records over to the large terrarium, and took the lid off the giant spider's home. She picked up something Calleigh couldn't identify and tossed it to the spider before placing the documents in the glass inclosure and closing the lid. The spider attacked the object and held onto its prize, allowing Paloma to get out unscathed.

"That should keep them safe," Paloma said loudly enough for everyone to hear. There was a murmur of forced amusement from her cronies.

'I've got to get those papers,' Calleigh thought as the meeting went on, 'And I know just how to do it.'

CARWASHCARWASHCARWASHCARWASH

**_That evening_**

The scene reminded Calleigh of the Masquerade Ball in _Phantom of the Opera _with all the music and decorations and dancing. Paloma, with all the flair of a billionaire, had planned this party as a celebration of the success of the Universal, and to formally introduce Calleigh as a member of her elite council. Dressed in a maroon halter gown, Calleigh took the room by storm. All of the men in the room looked her way when she entered, and Ryan couldn't help but grin, knowing that she was his for the night.

Calleigh introduced Ryan to all the high ranking members of the group, and thankfully enough, she was able to remember all of their names. After enough hobnobbing with the other guests, Calleigh pulled Ryan aside for a moment.

"Okay, here's the plan," she said looking him in the eye, "The papers we need are in the upstairs office. I'll create some sort of diversion and then I need you to take the elevator to the top floor, and go into the main meeting room; you can't miss it, it's huge. In the corner of the room on a table is a terrarium with our documents in it. Unfortunately, there's also a large spider in there that would sooner rip your hand off than look at you. Find some way to distract the spider and get the papers out."

Ryan was hearing all of this, but it was really freaking his mind out. Calleigh's tone of voice was deadly serious, but her eyes, smile, and body language said that she was trying to have her way with him. How could she be so serious and play the part so well?

"Oh sure," he said, trying to match her body language with words that just didn't fit, "Send me in after the killer spider."

"You can do it," she smiled, "I'll get up there to help you as soon as I can." Suddenly her eyes changed and Ryan noticed her watching something over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"It's Paloma," she said hurriedly, "Ryan, don't take anything I'm about to do personally."

Just then she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his lips down to meet hers. Startled by the turn of events, it took Ryan a minute to for his brain to catch up with his body. Before he realized it, he was kissing her back.

Calleigh hadn't expected to feel anything when she kissed Ryan Wolfe, but this was way more than a pretend kiss. When he started kissing her back, she felt like her lips were on fire. She felt his fingers intertwine with the strands of her hair, and he pulled her in closer. She couldn't breathe; this was the most intense feeling she'd ever experienced.

"Ah hem," came a familiar voice, bringing them both back down to earth. "Enjoying the party?" Paloma asked with a smile of amusement on her face.

Ryan and Calleigh looked at each other before stumbling over an agreement. Neither could speak coherently after what had just happened.

"Good," Paloma said, setting her snake eyes on Ryan, "It seems as if your choice in men is superb."

"Oh, uh, yeah," she half laughed.

"But I think I take the credit in this relationship," Ryan piped up, his lips still tingling from the kiss, "I chose her."

"Women are not property, but it is charming that you think that way," Paloma said with a sneer, "I have other guest to attend to, but please enjoy yourselves."

"We will," they said together as they watched her walk away.

Neither one could look at the other for a moment, but when Ryan finally tried to say something, Calleigh cut him off. "We'll talk about it later," she said, "Right now we just need to do our jobs. Get going." She left his side and wandered over to talk with Keely. Ryan took this as his signal and, making sure no one was watching, vanished into the heart of the building.

Calleigh waited a good twenty minutes, and when there was no sign of Ryan, decided to follow him and see what was taking so long. After a quick ride up the elevator, she silently pushed past the door to the conference room and slipped inside.

"Ryan?" she hissed, unable to see him in the dim light of the room.

A lamp on the corner table flicked on and a rush of breath was heard. "Geez Calleigh, what are you trying to do? Scare me to death?"

"I'm Jennifer, remember?" Calleigh said walking over to where he was standing, "And what is taking you so long?"

"You forgot to tell me this spider is the living incarnation of Oscar the Grouch," Ryan hissed, motioning to the tank, "I can't even take off the lid without him lunging towards me!"

"Paloma always throws something into the tank before she puts her hand in there, did you try that?" Calleigh whispered.

"Yeah, but nothing's worked," Ryan said.

"Did you try a piece of this?" Calleigh asked, holding up a package of licorice that had been sitting nearby.

"What's a spider going to do with a piece of licorice?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know," Calleigh said, "but it's worth a try!" She tore off a hunk of the stick red candy and tossed it at the giant spider. In one quick motion the spider jumped up, grabbed the licorice and returned to its hole, holding its prize.

"A spider with a sweet tooth, who'da thunk?" Ryan asked, totally bewildered.

"I don't care why it works, it just does. Please grab those documents before he finishes what he's got!" Calleigh said, exasperated that her partner's science geek side would reappear now.

Ryan reached in with lightening fast reflexes and hand the documents out before the spider could even recognize that his home had been invaded. "Got it," Ryan said, his breathing a little shaky as a result of risking his hand to the grumpy arachnid.

"Alright, let's get it home and figure out what we've got," Calleigh said, taking the documents in her own hands.


	5. Lock and Key

**Chapter 5: Lock and Key**

Several hours later they were still going over the paper work, trying to decide what information they could tell the FBI. In the documents were names and contact info for all the people involved in the ring, but there was also a lot more about the history of the group and other inside information.

"Think this is what the FBI wanted?" Ryan asked, looking over his stack one more time.

"I don't know, why don't you give them a call and update them?" Calleigh offered, still pouring over the documents on her side of the table.

"Alright," Ryan said, standing and dialing the number.

Ryan's voice was drowned out by Calleigh's thoughts as she looked at a particular page of information. It seemed to be in some sort of code, and she was sure that if she could crack it, the information might be the missing piece of the puzzle. She nearly had it figured out when Ryan ended his call.

"They say it's good information, but not enough," Ryan said, slumping back down in his seat, "They need bodies, physical evidence and I have no idea where we're going to get that.."

"But I do," Calleigh said suddenly, her eyes lighting up with understanding, "This page talks about a vault where they literally keep all the bodies and all the incriminating evidence. There's only one problem, I don't know where the it is. It gives the address of the vault in code on this paper, but I need the key to the vault to be able to decode it. And heavens knows where that key is, probably under lock and key someplace else."

Ryan's face turned a funny white/green color at this revelation. "Hey Cal," he asked timidly after a moment, "Does that paper say anything about what the key looks like?"

"Yeah," Calleigh said, taking out a piece of blank paper and sketching an image, "From what I can tell it has a little swoop on the end like this, and a round top. There's also a funny nick in the middle that looks like a V with a triangle in it. It could be anywhere though; it's like searching for a needle in a field of haystacks. I don't even know where to start looking."

"But I do," Ryan said, the color in his face turning a greenish shade again, "Remember when I was trying to get the papers from Oscar's tank, and I kept throwing in stuff to see if he'd stop trying to attack me?" When Calleigh nodded he continued, "I distinctly remember that key because I cut my fingertip on the little v thing."

"You didn't throw it in the tank did you?!" Calleigh asked, already knowing the answer.

Ryan looked up at her and shrugged sheepishly. "At least we know it's being guarded by the meanest spider in the world."

"Paloma will see it and know something's up for sure! What are we going to do?" Calleigh asked, thinking of her and Ryan's lives hanging precariously in the balance.

"Relax, she won't see it," Ryan promised, suddenly finding the silver lining of the situation, "When it fell into the terrarium, it bounced a little and lodged itself underneath a rock inside the spider's nest. It's completely hidden from view."

"Well that's good," Calleigh sighed, "But we won't be able to go get it until the end of the week. Paloma leaves on Friday for her status trip to Columbia, and then her office would be unguarded for a few days. I guess that means we're together for another week."

Ryan smiled. "I really don't mind that," he assured her. Then remembering something, said, "Cal, about what happened between us at the party, I..."

Calleigh cut him off, "Ryan, I don't really want to talk about it right now. We're both living in this skewed version of reality because we're undercover, and we aren't thinking about this clearly. I don't want us to do or say anything that we'll regret once we get out of here and back to our normal lives. Maybe if things don't change when I get to be Calleigh again, we can try, but please, just leave it alone for now."

"Okay," Ryan agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek before heading down the hall.

Ryan sighed. If this was reality, he hated it.


	6. Not What It Looks Like

**Chapter 6: Not What it Looks Like**

Before either of them had realized it, a week had past and it was Friday morning. If all went well, tonight reality would sink back in; for Ryan that meant TV dinners alone at home, and for Calleigh, that meant spending as much time as possible at the lab so she didn't have to go home to an empty house. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd loved living with Ryan; he made her laugh and there was never a dull moment. He was her best friend, and after tonight she didn't even know if they could be that anymore.

As they got ready for the day, they were silent, both thinking about what was going to happen. By noon they were headed towards the office building where the key to reality, literally, waited. The plan was simple; walk up to the office (as a member of the elite circle Calleigh had the keys to everything), feed the mean spirited spider the licorice, grab the key, decode it, and get out of there. The FBI had been informed of the plan and had been promised to be standing by in case of an emergency.

They rode the elevator in silence, only speaking when they reached the terrarium.

"You got the licorice ready?" Ryan asked, his hand poised to spring on the prize.

"Yeah," Calleigh murmured. She was just about to toss the candy into the tank when she was startled by a familiar voice.

"Oh I don't think you'll be needing that."

Calleigh and Ryan both turned to see Paloma flanked by four of her lieutenants. "Be a good girl and drop the candy," Paloma requested, her voice sickly sweet.

Calleigh did as she was asked, her heart beating so hard she thought it would jump out of her chest. This was it; the end.

Paloma pulled a gun out from he waistband of her pants and pointed it at Calleigh and Ryan. Her four cronies did the same. "I knew I had a leak somewhere in the organization, I just didn't expect it to be you," she said, her ice cold voice had an almost childlike quality, "And how sweet, your little boyfriend is in on it too. Pitty, I liked him."

"You don't understand, this isn't what is looks like," Calleigh tried.

"She's right," Ryan said, suddenly stepping in front of Calleigh, blocking her from the line of fire, "It was all me, she's the pawn in all of this. It was my idea not hers." Ryan heard a little intake of breath behind him but ignored it. "Punish me, spare her."

"How cute," Paloma said, "Prince Charming's trying to save his princess. To bad it's not going to work. You know the punishment for disloyalty. Say goodbye Zack."

Gunfire cracked through the room and a body fell to the floor.

"Ryan!" Calleigh called out.

"I'm alright," he said turning around gathering her into his arms. She looked over his shoulder and saw Consuela Ramirez holding a smoking gun, pointed at Paloma's now still body resting on the floor.

"Drop you weapons by order of the United States FBI," she said, pointing her weapon at Keely and the woman next to her. Another one of Paloma's lieutenants, her FBI badge now clearly in view ordered the same of the woman next to her. A few moments later, the room was swarming with FBI agents and other law enforcement officers, some in full body armor toting guns big enough to take down an elephant.

"Are you two alright?" Consuela asked, stepping over to the couple.

"Yeah," Ryan said, releasing Calleigh, who still looked a little shell shocked, "Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem," Consuela smiled.

"What are you two talking about?" Calleigh asked, her brain still trying to process the fact that Ryan wasn't dead.

"I saw the edge of her badge when she pointed the gun at us. She saw me looking at her badge, and I guess assumed I caught what that meant and showed me with her eyes the other agents outside," Ryan explained.

"So you knew you weren't going to get killed when you stepped in front of me?" Calleigh asked.

"I was really hoping not," Ryan laughed, "However, I've very glad it worked out like it did."

"Wow, sorry, I'm still trying to get used to it," Calleigh said, pressing her hand to her chest in an attempt to slow down her racing heart.

Consuela laughed. "Well let me introduce myself properly, my name is Constance Jorgenson, and I'm a special agent with the FBI, drug undercover missions mostly. We've been casing this operation for several months now, but didn't have the evidence we needed to take it down until just recently. Thank you for your help."

"How many members of the ring were FBI agents?" Calleigh asked, still trying to wrap her head around the idea.

"About a third of the women and half the men," Constance counted, "Let's just say that Paloma was a bit too trusting. You guys are free now, we'll collect the key and things as evidence. Enjoy getting back to reality."

She then stepped away from the duo, leaving them alone with their thoughts.

"What a day," Ryan said with a smile.

Calleigh nodded, laughing, and pulled him into a hug.


	7. Reality

**Chapter 7: Reality**

**_One week later_**

Life had returned to normal for Calleigh and Ryan, although their friends might have said otherwise. It was clear that something special had happened between them during their three week stint as a couple. These differences couldn't have been clearer than during the CSI picnic in honor of the undercover heroes.

The day was hot and sunny and everyone was running around in shorts and t-shirts, and having a blast playing frisbee, water balloon volleyball, and just sitting around talking. Calleigh and Ryan entertained their friends with stories about their adventure; Ryan told a whopper about saving Calleigh in the shootout at the office complex. In his version there were at least 20 people with guns aimed at him and he had no where to go. Calleigh just laughed and threw a water balloon at him, which broke when it hit his face.

"You're gonna regret that," he growled playfully, chasing her with a larger water balloon.

This started a lab wide water fight with balloons flying every which way. Ryan finally nailed Calleigh with the balloon and tackled her to the ground. She giggled, but was able to squirm away due to her water soaked body.

All of a sudden they heard a voice from the CSI parking lot. "I'm King of the Lab!" Cooper yelled from atop a certified Miami-Dade fire truck. The other lab rats ran over and grabbed the fire hose and opened fire on their unsuspecting co-workers.

Ryan was carrying Calleigh piggyback style when the torrent reached them. He tried to outrun it, but pretty soon they were soaked. The spray knocked them both to the ground where they lay tangled up, gasping for breath. Calleigh laughed harder than she'd ever laughed in her life. She was soaking wet, muddy, and her hair was a mess, but she couldn't remember being happier. Ryan stomped in a puddle created by the excess water in the grass, splashing Calleigh. He tried to do it again, but slipped on the wet grass and landed on his butt in the muddy water. Calleigh laughed and pulled him to his feet.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Ryan asked, pulling her closer to him, "I've got something I want to ask you about."

She nodded and followed him to the back of the crime lab.

"I'm completely drenched," Calleigh laughed, as they stopped in a sunny spot on the cement.

"You still look pretty fantastic to me," Ryan said, pulling her over to him, "I've really missed you Cal."

"I've been right here," she teased.

"You know what I mean," he said, "It's weird going home and not seeing you there."

Her smiled faded slightly. "I know the feeling," she admitted.

"Remember what you said about waiting until we got back in the real world to make any decisions about..you know...us?" Ryan asked hopefully.

"I remember," Calleigh said softly, "And I've decided something. Undercover missions don't always change a person for worse, sometimes they change us for the better. It was real Ryan," she nearly whispered, looking into his eyes, "That kiss was real. I meant it."

Ryan's boyish grin spread across his face. He reached out and tucked a piece of damp hair behind her ear and studied her for a moment. Her eyes sparkled with warmth and a radiance he'd almost forgotten. He leaned in closer and whispered, "This one's real too." He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She smiled into the kiss, returning it with equal fervor, wrapping her arms around his neck. Fireworks exploded behind their eyes.

Finally breaking the kiss Ryan grinned at her for a minute. "What do you say we give real life a try? You and me, together." he asked.

"I accept," she said coyly before capturing his lips in another kiss.

Walking hand in hand toward his car later Calleigh though of something. "You know Ryan, there's one thing I still don't understand...why did Horatio send us in undercover if he knew there were other agents working on it?"

"Who knows, Calleigh, who knows."

CARWASHCARWASHCARWASHCARWASH

From a short distance away, two people had watched the exchange with a multitude of facial expressions.

"So does that mean they're official H? They're dating for real?" Eric asked, still bewildered by what he had just witnessed.

Horatio smiled. "That's exactly what that means Eric. That also means that you owe me."

Eric shook his head. "It was a sure thing! There was no way Calleigh was going to fall for Ryan after a measly three weeks together on an undercover mission. She's made of stronger stuff than that."

"It was your idea for me to set this up in the first place, so I don't want to hear about it," Horatio laughed.

Eric dug out his wallet and counted out a hundred dollars, handing the money to Horatio. "Here you go H; my debt is paid."

Horatio took the money, but stopped his friend. "As I recall, there was one more element to the bet. A personal favor."

"Right," Eric remembered.

"The spider from the drug ring needs to be taken care of until the trial. We still need to extract some of its secretions to do drug analysis on, and we need him alive to do that. He's yours until the trial."

"No way, H. No way am I taking care of that monster!" Eric protested.

"You are and you're going to enjoy it," Horatio laughed. You can pick him up tomorrow at noon. Oh, and by the way, Oscar likes licorice.

Eric shook his head as Horatio walked away with a smug smile on his face.

"Never bet against Calleigh Duquesne, Eric."

**The End**

**A/N: Now that you've enjoyed my story, please press the little purple button below...You never know what you might get! ;)**


End file.
